What will my baby’s sleep pattern be?

Newborn babies sleep a lot. Expect your baby to be asleep for up to 18 hours out of every 24 in his first few weeks (ISIS 2013). But he won’t sleep for more than one hour to three hours at a time, day or night, as he will need frequent feeds (ISIS 2013, NSF nd). This means that you can expect some sleepless nights, especially at first.

This is a just a phase your baby needs to move through and it won’t last long. Although it can seem like an eternity when you’re sleep-deprived.

Your baby’s sleep cycles are far shorter than yours. He’ll spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is a light, easily disturbed sleep (NSF nd). This is necessary for the changes that are happening in his brain.

Once he is between six weeks and eight weeks your baby will probably sleep for shorter spells during the day and longer periods at night. But he’ll still wake up to feed during the night. He’ll have more deep, non-REM sleep and less light sleep (Davis et al 2004).

It’s possible that your baby may sleep through the night as early as eight weeks old. Every baby is different though and it’s more likely your nights will be interrupted for at least the first few months (ISIS 2013). If your aim is to get your baby to sleep through the night, encouraging clear habits from the start will help.

How should I encourage good sleep habits between birth and three months?

Your baby can develop good sleep habits from as early as six weeks. This is the point at which he starts to develop his natural circadian rhythms, which is the process that helps regulate his sleep-wake cycle (NSF nd). Here are a few tactics you can use to help your baby settle.

Recognise the signs that mean he’s tired

For the first six weeks to eight weeks, your baby probably won’t be able to stay up for more than two hours at a time. If you wait much longer than that to put him down, he’ll be overtired and won’t nod off easily.

During your baby’s first three months, learn the signs that he’s sleepy, such as:

He may also turn his face away from moving objects or people, or bury his face in your chest.

If you spot these or any other signs of sleepiness, try putting your baby down in his cot or Moses basket. Don’t worry, you’ll soon come to recognise your baby’s daily rhythms and patterns, and spot the cues that mean he’s ready for a nap.

Show your baby the difference between night and day

Once your baby is about two weeks old, you can begin to show him the difference between night and day (NHS 2015).

In the daytime, when he’s alert:

Change his clothes when he wakes, to help him understand that it’s the start of a new day.

Let him hear everyday noises, such as the radio or the washing machine.

Wake him gently if he nods off during a feed (NHS 2015).

At night-time:

Change him into his pyjamas to mark the beginning of his night-time routine and show him that it’s the end of the day.

Try not to speak to him when you feed him.

Keep lights and noises low (NHS 2015).

All this should help your baby to start to understand that night-time is for sleeping (Sleep 2003).

Give your baby a chance to fall asleep on his own

When your baby’s around three months old, he should be able to fall asleep on his own. Of course, this doesn’t mean that he will! To encourage your baby to settle himself to sleep, put him down when he’s sleepy, but still awake (IHV 2014, St-James Roberts et al 2015). If you prefer, you can stay with him until he drifts off to sleep, but be prepared to do the same every time he wakes at night (IHV 2014).

How you settle your baby to sleep is important. If you feed or rock your baby to sleep every night for the first eight weeks, he may expect the same later on (IHV 2014).

Some experts advise against rocking or feeding your baby to sleep (NHS 2015, Merck Manuals 2013), but it’s up to you to decide what routine best suits you and your baby.

If you want to establish a consistent bedtime routine, it’s a good idea to adopt the same strategy every night (IHV 2014, ISIS 2013, NHS 2015).

Where should my baby sleep?

Where should your newborn sleep? What temperature should her room be? Get the lowdown on safe baby sleep from a midwife.More baby videos

What sleep problems happen at this age?

It may be hard to identify sleep problems at this early stage, as you and your baby will be settling into your own rhythms and patterns when it comes to sleep. In your baby’s first few months, he’ll need plenty of night-time feeds and cuddles, so if you can, try to sleep when your baby sleeps during the day, as well as during the night.

Sleep J. 2003. A randomised controlled trial to compare alternative strategies for preventing infant crying and sleeping problems in the first 3 months of life. Department of Health, Research and Development, Mother and Child Health. www.dh.gov.uk. [Accessed January 2017]

St-James Roberts I, Roberts M, Hovish K et al. 2015. Video evidence that London infants can resettle themselves back to sleep after waking in the night, as well as sleep for long periods, by three months of age. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 36 (5): 324-9. [Accessed January 2017]

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My baby is 2 weeks old and she sleeps most of the day and stays up at night its do frustrating and tiring any one going through this?how long does this rounting take before she gets to sleep long at night and less on the day?

My baby never slept well (especially through the night) until I started using www.SleepBaby.org - by far one of the best things I've ever got my hands on to get him to fall asleep quickly. Best time is 45 seconds from awake to asleep! Can’t imagine life without it! I heard about it through a kindergarten teacher who uses it to put to sleep a group of 30 children. Check it out! www.SleepBaby.org - best of luck to you and your family! :)

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